Syrian foreign minister in Tehran to coordinate post-war political moves

Tabnak – As the war in Syria is going to its final stages with the Syrian army retaking most of the country’s territories from the rebel and terrorist groups, the Syrian government has started intensive talks with its allies to form a plan for the post-war political process. Syrian foreign minister’s visit to Iran was conducted today in this framework.

According to the official Iranian media, Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Muallem who has visited Iran with a diplomatic delegation met with his counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday to discuss Tehran-Damascus ties and the latest political developments in Syria.

In the meeting, Zarif hailed the Syrian government and nation’s victories against terrorism, saying the Zionist regime of Israel, which has confessed to have supported terrorists inside Syria, is against calm and stability in Syria and the region.

Emphasizing the necessity for convergence and cooperation among the regional countries, Foreign Minister Zarif said the Iranian companies are prepared for economic interaction with Syria in the process of reconstruction of the war-hit country.

For his part, Muallem commended the Iranian government and nation for supporting Syria against terrorism, saying the victories that Damascus has gained against the terrorist groups belong also to Iran and the other allies of Syria.

He also briefed the top Iranian diplomat on the latest upheavals in Syria and the ongoing consultations for the political settlement of crisis in his country.

Zarif and Muallem further discussed the initiatives to resolve the conflicts in Syria, including an upcoming summit of Iran, Russia and Turkey, due to be held in Sochi as part of the Astana peace process.

Muallem had also a meeting with Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani. At the meeting, senior Iranian security official said the joint fight with Syria against terrorism has contributed to regional and international security, emphasizing that the two nations will continue their cooperation until the eradication of the scourge in the Arab country.

“Cooperation between Iran and Syria in the fight against Takfiri terrorism has resulted in undeniable achievements for the region and international security and this trend will be continued until the end of the security crisis in this [Arab] country,” Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said in a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem in Tehran on Tuesday.

He further said certain Western countries’ “excessive demands” and “acts of sabotage” targeting the political process in Syria indicate that their “illogical positions and pretexts” are merely aimed at prolonging the crisis gripping the Middle Eastern country.

Muallem’s visit to Tehran comes as a planned meeting of the presidents of the three guarantor states of Syrian peace, namely Iran, Russia and Turkey, will be held in the Russian resort city of Sochi on February 14.

The tripartite summit, whose main purpose is to provide further coordination among the three countries, will be held before the 12th Astana talks in the Kazakh capital, Astana.